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Trip Report

I just moved to the East Coast and spent a few days in the beach towns of Delaware. (Lewes, Rehoboth, Dewey.) This is my first time on ANY beach on the East Coast (I've been to the Keys, Hawaii, Carribean, but never anywhere in the East.) We went on an impromput trip for 4 nights with my kids 6 and 3.

No matter where you go, bring lots of quarters for parking meters.

Lewes - The tiny town is charming, slow paced and beautiful. The stores along the main historic street are unique (no cheap T-shirt shops.) We ate a the Blue Plate (comfort food, good kids menu, loved the tunes), The Irish Eyes on the canal (good water views, big menu, fun outdoor bar) and the Lighthouse (also on the canal, lots of good casual seafood dishes.) I noticed that the retiree crowd likes Lewes but at the ice cream shop on Friday night, I stood in line for banana ice cream with lots of kids of all ages.

I liked the public beach on the cape side because I didn't have to worry about big waves and my little kids. It wasn't too crowded on Thurs but it was packed on Saturday morning. It isn't a scenic beach but very easy and convenient with kids.

We also enjoyed Cape Henlopen Beach which was more picturesque. It isn't very wide but there was plenty of room mid week. The national park is easy to bike to from town and has lots of trails.

Rehoboth - We were there for a very short time. We drove in for some fun on the Boardwalk on Thurs night and just about turned around due to the traffic. It was NUTS trying to find parking. The main strip is BUSY, wall to wall people on the sidewalk and that was before we got to the boardwalk. The amount of good looking eateries was stunning; great boutiques and cheap sea shell shops were also plentiful. I don't think I'd stay here for a family vacation just because I like things more slow paced but I can see how this would be a great spot if you like to shop as much as sunbathe.

Dewey - I was entranced with Dewey. Small and relaxed. You can walk everywhere. This is where I'd choose to stay for a long family trip because you could park the car then never use it again. We ate at a joint where I could enjoy my sushi and beer on the deck and see the dunes and seagrass just one block up. This is supposed to be a party place and I can see that. But me and my kids felt right at home. We did a little shopping and it felt like a laid back beach town with young, hip suntanned beach bums at every turn.

Sorry I don't have much to report on the beaches themselves. The traffic on Coastal 1 is worth avoiding however possible.